It is known to provide a heavy vehicle with a spreader unit of a de-icing material comprising a hopper, one or more rotating spreaders related to the hopper, and one or more transport devices to gravitationally convey the de-icing material from the hopper to the spreader. The spreader also comprises a motor for driving a rotating disk that runs the spreading of the de-icing material. Normally, the carrying device and the motor of the spreader are connected to a pressurized hydraulic circuit for controlling the movable elements that process the de-icing material.
However, the hydraulic supply poses disadvantages associated with the use of the hydraulic fluid at very low temperatures. With such hydraulic supply, there are risks of partial or total solidification of the fluid in the conduits in case of, for example, long stops. In addition, the disposal of the hydraulic fluid has a significant impact on the environment. Also, the conduits are subject to corrosion and impact and can be damaged with high repair costs. Finally, the hydraulic system requires expensive drive systems such as power plugs from the vehicle or auxiliary engines or other similar systems.
In addition, a hydraulic circuit is usually sized based on the maximum load. In use, when the load is not at the maximum, the excess hydraulic power is dissipated resulting in wasted energy.